


Parallel World

by cutthechitchatandbegone



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Child Abuse, Dysfunctional Family, Medical Inaccuracies, Medical Procedures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-29
Updated: 2013-01-29
Packaged: 2017-11-27 10:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/661036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutthechitchatandbegone/pseuds/cutthechitchatandbegone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto wants to get to know his niece and nephew, but things don't go quite as planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Parallel World

“I missed Mica's birthday.”

“Yeah, she was absolutely crushed.” Rhiannon scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “'s not like ya didn't miss every other birthday before this one.”

“I... it's not because I don't care.”

“Oh, sure, you come by so often – you phone, write – because you care.”

“Rhi, give me another chance.”

She shrugged, sighing. “Fine. I could use some time to myself. Bring them back by supper. Kids!” She shouted toward the stairs, “Get down here now!”

Ianto winced at the tone of his sister's voice. “I figured I'd take them to the playground.”

“You're really dressed for gettin' down and dirty with 'em, aren't ya?” She said, making a grand gesture to his suit.

He closed his eyes and sighed, breathing deeply through his nose. “This is just how I dress, Rhi. It's what I wear. Every day.”

“Posh man, ay? _Mica, David!_ ” She hollered.

Eyebrows rising, Ianto groaned, “Oi, Rhi, _please_.”

Rhiannon fixed him with a look and stalked up the stairs, calling again for her children. “Come on, now, Uncle Ianto is takin' you out to the park.”

He heard Mica squeal in excitement, but even from downstairs he could hear David's grumbling. “Mam, I don't wanna go. Uncle Ianto's so boring.”

“Don't say that, it's rude.”

Mica came barreling down the stairs and jumped in front of her uncle. “Mam says you're takin' us to the park!”

He grinned at her nervously. “Yeah. Maybe we can... go out for ice cream after.”

“Yay!”

“Go get your jacket and put your shoes on. It's nippy out today.”

The small girl scrambled away, running to grab her coat and sneakers.

“David, you coming or not?” Ianto demanded. “Mica's already dressed and at the door.”

Rhiannon slowly walked down the stairs, pulling her son by the hand. “He's comin'. Sorry, he's just bein' a bit stubborn today. Some fresh air'll do him good.” She gave him a stern shove toward Ianto. “Like I said, have 'em back by supper.”

“Of course.” Ianto smiled, pecking his older sister on the cheek. “Tell Mam goodbye.”

“Bye, Mam!” The children called as they followed Ianto to the SUV.

David climbed in the passenger seat, but Ianto shook his head. “Nope. In the back with your sister.”

“Oi, come on, dad lets me ride in the front!”

“Well, I'm not your dad, now, am I? I'm your boring Uncle Ianto.” There was a light scolding tone to his voice, letting David know that he'd heard the conversation with Rhiannon. “Now in the back.” He lifted Mica and set her in the backseat, reaching for the seat belt.

“Uncle Ianto!” She nagged, smacking his hand away and grabbing the seat belt herself, “I can do it. 'm a big girl.”

Ianto laughed as he got into the driver's seat. “Yes, you are, Mica. David, is your seat belt buckled?”

“Yes.” He grumped, crossing his arms over his chest. Why was Mam making him go out with his uncle? He would much rather be out with Johnny and Luke riding bikes or playing on the console. He pulled out his mobile and started a game of Tetris.

After a long bit of awkward silence, David looked up from his game. “Can't you turn on the radio or something?”

He shrugged, fumbling for a CD with child-appropriate content.

Mica was getting fidgety. She thought drive to the playground was taking hours. “Uncle Ianto, are we there yet?”

“Not yet. Five more minutes.”

True to his word, the drive only lasted a few more minutes. The playground was empty when they arrived. He helped Mica out of the car and watched as the little girl ran excitedly toward the swings.

 

-_-_

 

_Ianto loved when his dad pushed him on the swing. He loved when his dad payed attention to him – it was a very rare occasion that would happen. “Higher, Dadi, higher!”_

_“No, Ianto, it's time to go.”_

_“Dad, I just want to stay a few more minutes!” Ianto called as he swung high over the earth. He loved the swings. He loved being able to see everything. He could see all the other kids, but compared to him, they were so small. He always sat on the swing farthest to the left, because it had the best view of the playground._

_Every Sunday, his dad would take him and Rhiannon to the park. It was really the only normalcy in Ianto's life._

_Rhi always played on the monkey bars – she was a lot stronger than Ianto was, so she could climb them. Today, though, his big sister was sitting in their car with the windows rolled up. She had been crying earlier and her face was very red. She was in trouble for 'mouthing off' and Dad was very cross._

_“You'd better stop that swing and get your sorry arse off there right now, boy.” His dad growled._

_Ianto shook his head, kicking his legs, propelling him higher. “I don't want to go, Dad!” He felt his dad's strong hands on his back and then he was in the sky again._

_He was flying. It was bad._

_All Ianto remembered after that was crying._

_And screaming._

_And pain. So much pain._

 

_-_-__

 

“Mica, be careful!” Ianto bellowed, a heavy strain in his voice. He sat down on the bench and sighed, looking at the empty playground. The scene from so many years before played out in his head. Over and over. Tormenting him. He watched as his little niece sat on the swing farthest to the left, kicking her tiny legs frantically.

“Uncle Ianto, come push me! I want to go to the sky!”

He smiled and sauntered over to the swing set. “Hold on tight, Mica.” He instructed with a kind firmness in his voice. He looked over at David, who took his phone and climbed to the top of the monkey bars. He laid down on top of the bars as though the thing was a bed and started playing with his mobile.

Ianto frowned at the sight. He wished he would have taken a more active role in his nephew's life. Johnny was never much of a father, but for yelling at the kids. He rarely went to his sister's house, but the last time he did – at least two years ago – he remembered Johnny screaming at Mica for eating the last of the cereal. Non-stop screaming for ten minutes at least. The poor little girl was reduced to tears. She was four. What kind of a father screams at their four year old? When Johnny finally stopped yelling and went upstairs for a sobering shower, Ianto picked up his crying niece and held her, rocking her in a soothing motion and whispering soft words to her.

“Higher, Uncle Ianto!” Mica's voice was shrill, but it didn't bother Ianto.

“No, you're high enough, Mimi.” He joked, giving her another gentle push, “I can barely see you now!”

She giggled happily, leaping wildly from the swing. “I wanna go down the slides!”

Ianto ran after her, scolding. “Be careful, Mica!”

“Can't catch me!” She dashed over to the play set and climbed up the rope ladder to the very top of the tower. “Uncle Ianto, slide down the slide with me!”

“Oi, Mimi, I'm an old man! I can't make it up there!” He joked, pretending to crack his back.

“Oh, _please_ , Uncle Ianto?” From the very top of the tower, Mica leaned down and stuck her hand through the bars, reaching to her uncle. She stretched as far as she could, but she couldn't reach him. She looked down with puppy dog eyes and she stuck her bottom lip out.

Smiling, Ianto reached his right hand up and touched the tip of Mica's fingers. He started up the stairway and met Mica at the top. “Come on, let's go, then. Are you going down first, or am I?”

“You go first!”

“Okay...” He sat down at the top of the slide and looked at Mica over his shoulder, “Here I go! Whee!” He tossed his arms in the air flailing with mock excitement.

Mica laughed as she watched her uncle go down the slide. “Catch me!” She squealed as she went down the slide.

Ianto waited for her all of ten seconds before she reached the bottom. “There's my girl!” He lifted her up, spinning her around, a grin that stretched from ear to ear adorning his youthful face. He set her back down, patting her on the back, “Go play on the spring horse for a bit. I'm going to see your brother for a minute, all right?”

She nodded, skipping over to the spring horse with a smile. Her brown pig tails bounced and her short blue overcoat billowed in the chill of the wind.

For a brief moment, Ianto, stopped, bemused at his own actions. He hadn't even seen his niece in two years, yet somehow, the two were rather compatible. The little girl was so full of life, and Ianto was tired of being around death.

“David,” Ianto called, looking up at the blonde boy on the monkey bars. “What're you doing up there?”

“I'm playin' a game.” David didn't bother looking up from his phone. He was so angry at his mam for making him go to the stupid playground.

“Come down here and talk to me, David.”

“Why? I'm busy.”

“Because I asked you to.”

David looked down at his uncle with a glare. “Fine.” He shoved his phone in his pocket, muttering under his breath as he jumped off the structure, “Ast.”

“I can hear you, David.”

“What do you want?”

“Why won't you come and play with your sister?”

“All she ever does is pretend to be a fuckin' princess.”

“Watch your language!”

“Oh, piss off.”

Kneeling on one knee, Ianto grabbed David's upper arm and looked him in the eye. “David, I don't know why you're so angry, but-”

“'m not angry! Why does everyone think I'm angry? I'm _bored_ and I don't want to be at a stupid playground and I sure as fuck don't want to be here with _you_!”

“Stop that, now, or I'll wash your mouth out.”

David rolled his eyes, scowling. “I don't want to be here. This is so stupid. I don't know why Mam made me come out with you today. I don't know why you even came by at all. I don't remember the last time you came 'round.”

“I know I haven't seen you much, David, but I'd like that to change. I'd like to be friends.”

“I've already got friends. I don't need you.”

Ianto was about to respond, but he was stopped by an ear-splitting scream. His head whipped around and he saw Mica lying on the pavement by the swing set, screaming.

 

-_-_

 

_“Get up, ya bastard!” His dad shouted._

_Sobbing, Ianto clutched his leg, “I can't! It hurts!”_

_His father grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him to his feet. “Get in the car.”_

_The pressure on his leg was unbearable and he cried as his father dragged him to the car. “Dadi, it hurts!”_

 

-_-_

 

“Oh fuck, Mica!” Ianto sprinted to his niece. “What happened?”

“I-I-I f-fell!”

“What hurts? No, don't move, Mimi. Stay very still.”

“My leg!”

 

-_-_

 

_Rhi went to the neighbor's place that night to get help, after their father had left to go on a bender. Ianto sat in his room, tipsy from the whiskey his sister had given him to help with the pain. “How do you feel, Yan?”_

_“My leg hurts real bad.”_

_She gave her little brother a kiss on the cheek. “Ms. Evans from next door is going to come help. She's a nurse. You'll be okay.”_

_Soon, long before Ms. Evan's got there, Ianto gave into the pain and the drink and fell asleep against his sister's chest._

 

_-_-__

 

Ianto thought for a moment before barking at David to phone his mam and dad. “Tell them to meet us at A&E.” He turned his attention back to the crying girl, looking her over quickly. “Which leg is it, Mimi?”

She pointed to her left leg, still sobbing.

He pulled out his pocket knife and told her to stay as still as she could. Carefully, Ianto sliced her jeans at the knee and tore the leg, revealing a giant bump under her pale skin. “Oh, fuck.”

“Uncle Ianto, Mam and Dad didn't answer.” David announced.

“You phoned all the numbers you've got for them? Home, mobile?”

“Yeah.”

“Shit.” He muttered, pulling out his own phone. “Owen? I don't know what to do. My niece – I think she broke her leg. I need help.”

The sound of Owen's voice helped calm his frayed nerves. “I can't get a hold of her parents. Can you meet us at A&E? No, it didn't break skin – it's just a bump. Did you hit your head, Mica?”

With a loud sob, she shook her head.

“No, she says no. We'll be at the A&E in ten minutes, can you get there? Thanks, Owen.” He shoved his phone back in his breast pocket and slipped his arm under Mica's back. “Come on, now, put your arm around my shoulder. There's a good girl.” He carefully supported her while he carried her to the car and set her down sideways in the backseat, strapping her in with two seat belts. “David, in the front with me.”

As soon as David was in the car, Ianto sped to the A&E department. “Hold on, Mica, just another minute. Davie, try phoning Mam and Tad again.”

The phone was ringing and David looked over to his uncle. “Is Mica going to be okay?”

“She'll be fine. It's just a broken leg.”

As the car was pulled into a parking spot at A&E, David announced, “There's no answer, Uncle Ianto.”

Ianto swore to himself, but went around to the backseat and reached for Mica. “Come on, Mimi.” He said as he hoisted her up. With Mica in his arms and David in tow, Ianto frantically dashed into the emergency room.

“Ianto!” Owen called, rising from the seating area.

“Oh, thank God! Can you watch David while I fill out the paperwork?”

Owen nodded and led David back to where he had been sitting moments prior. “Come on, mate. Let's leave your uncle be.”

“Can I help you, sir?” The nurse asked, her voice monotone.

“She – she was playing on the swings and she fell and she hurt her leg.” He rubbed Mica's back as she clung to his neck and cried. “Shhh,” He whispered, “It's okay, Mimi, it's okay.”

The uninterested nurse handed him a small stack of papers and told him to fill them out, then Mica would be treated.

In favor of paperwork, Ianto passed Mica to Owen, who supported her with great care. He winced when he saw the break in her leg. “Must've hurt.” He mused in a gentle tone, “But don't worry, I know the doctors here. They're very good.”

David seemed excited for the first time that day. “Can I see it?”

“Look here,” Owen pointed to the bump, “No! Don't touch it. Jeez, kid. You _want_ your sister in more pain?”

“Sorry.” He said, having the grace to look at least a little admonished, even though he really wasn't. Owen could tell that he and David had quite a bit in common. He continued explaining the break, fascinating David.

Ianto finished the paperwork and brought it back to the desk. The woman pressed a small red button and a large-framed woman in green scrubs entered the waiting room almost immediately. “We can take you back now.”

“Owen, stay with David?” He requested, lifting Mica up again.

“Yeah, mate.”

“Doctor Harper!” The woman called, smiling, “Good to see you!”

He smiled back tightly, “The feeling is mutual, Kari.”

Ianto followed the robust woman through the double doors, led down a corridor and over toward a small cot. With the assistance of the nurse, he helped Mica lay down, giving her tiny hand a squeeze.

“A doctor will be over to see you momentarily.” She pulled the curtain back and was gone as quickly as she came.

“Uncle Ianto, I hurt.” Mica said quietly, catching Ianto's attention.

“I know, cariad. The doctor will make the pain go away very soon, I promise.”

A tall, handsome man with dark features approached the bed. “Hello, I'm Doctor Sherman. Would you be so kind as to inform me of what happened?”

“We were at the park – I only had my back turned for a minute so I could speak with her brother. She said she fell from the swings.”

“And you're her father?”

“No, I'm her uncle. Ianto Jones. I tried contacting her parents, but they wouldn't pick up their mobiles and they weren't at home.”

“You didn't call for an ambulance? You brought her here on your own?”

“Yes, we were only a few minutes away, and my friend – a _doctor_ – told me that it was all right to move her.” He paused, exasperated with the doctor's third degree, “Please just stop her pain.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her hand.

The doctor moved around to look at her leg. “All right, we can take her down to x-ray now. Slow day.”

“Is it going to hurt?” Mica looked up at Ianto with wide, fearful eyes. “I'm scared, Uncle Ianto.”

“X-rays don't hurt, cariad. I promise. And you've been so, so brave today. I'm so proud of you.”

“The nurse will take her down to x-ray. For now, she can have some ibuprofen to help the pain.”

 

-_-_

 

An hour later, the doctor determined Mica had a displaced fracture of the tibia. “It's easy enough that we can set it without surgery, but it's painful, even with local. However, to do surgery, we need parental consent.”

“I don't know why they're not answering their phones. I even had Jack drive to their estate; they weren't there.” Ianto wrung his hands nervously. He looked over at Mica, who was lying on the bed and sucking her thumb.

“A quick blood test will determine if she's allergic to the local we use.”

“Okay. Mimi,” He kept his voice soft so he wouldn't startle her, “the doctor needs to draw some blood, okay?”

Mica nodded with a sniff. A nurse came by and she was very quick about preparing. “Uncle Ianto!” Mica shrieked as tourniquet was tied around her thin arm.

“What's wrong?” He panicked, kneeling at her side.

“'m scared.”

“Oh, Mi.” He took her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “It's only a little pinch. It'll be over before you know it.” Thought Ianto managed to keep Mica's attention, she yelped when the needle was inserted under her skin. “See, that's it. All over. Such a good girl.”

“I wanna go home.” She whimpered, nuzzling her head against Ianto's chest.

The needle was withdrawn quickly and Ianto nodded at Mica. “I know you do, cariad. We'll go home soon.”

The woman announced that the test would be finished within about twenty minutes and in the meanwhile, Mica was not to drink or eat anything.

“Mica, I'm going to step out for a second and try to phone Mam and Tad again. Will you be all right without me?”

She said it was fine, so Ianto stepped out and told the monitor at the nurse's station that he was going to try for her parents again. The nurse nodded with a kind smile, “Of course, sir. She'll be fine until you get back.”

“Thank you.” He stepped through to the lobby, where Owen and David were still waiting.

“How's she doing?” Owen asked, standing up to greet his coworker.

“Could be worse. I'm going to try Rhi and Johnny again.”

“Don't bother.” David interjected, “I've been calling them every ten minutes.”

With a sad smile, Ianto ruffled David's hair. “Good boy.” He gave the blonde young man a tight hug. “I need to get back to Mica, but _please_ keep trying your parents.” He pulled out his wallet and handed David fifteen pounds. “Owen, take him to the gift shop to pick out a toy for Mica, would you?”

Owen gave him a small smile. “Sure. Come on, David.” He said, patting the kid on the back.

Once Ianto was back with Mica, the doctor and two nurses came in to the small curtained off room. “Mica,” The petite blonde nurse began with a smile, “You ready?”

Mica's bottom lip quivered, but she nodded.

Ianto sat beside her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You're such a brave girl, Mica.” He took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. He saw the enormous needle that was being prepared and he certainly did not want Mica seeing it.

“Uncle Ianto,” Mica started with tears welling in her bright blue eyes, “Is this gonna hurt?”

He didn't want to lie to the little girl. He couldn't lie to her. “It might. But remember, pain doesn't last forever. You know, when I was a little boy I fell off the _exact same swing_ and I broke my leg, too.”

“Really? Did you get a pretty cast?”

He smiled, but shook his head. “No. It healed without a cast.”

Mica felt a pressure on her broken leg, and a sharp pain that caused her to jerk and cry out. She wanted her mam. Why wasn't Mam there?

Ianto held her tight, kissing her head and cooing softly, “You're all right, cariad. Shhh. You're fine.”

She wished Mam was with her, but she felt safe in Uncle Ianto's arms. She loved her Uncle Ianto very much because he gave great hugs. Much better hugs than Dad gave.

“We're going to set the bone now.”

 

-_-_

 

Not long after, the bone was set. Mica was sobbing, but Ianto held her close as they made her cast. “What colour do you want, Micah?” A new nurse asked.

“It's pronounced _Misha._ And Mimi, your cast has to be white, otherwise you'd have to cover it at school.” Ianto muttered, rubbing her back.

She nodded against his chest, sighing deeply. “Can I go to sleep?”

“Of course.” He whispered softly. The nurse began wrapping Mica's leg for her cast and Ianto felt the little girl begin to drift off. Tears welled up in Ianto's eyes, threatening to fall. He couldn't believe he'd let this happen. He should have just taken the kids to the cinema. Or better yet, just stayed out of their lives all together. It was clear that they were better off without him.

“Are you all right, sir?”

His head snapped up, meeting the nurse's dark brown eyes. “Oh. Yeah. I'm... I'm all right.” His voice was heavy.

“Your niece is fine. Children break bones all the time.”

“I brought her in here and the doctor basically accused me of hurting her. I would never lay a hand on Mica.”

“It's standard protocol to question suspicious circumstances. But the way she reacted to you – that wasn't the way a child would react to their abuser.”

Ianto continued stroking Mica's hair, humming a Welsh lullaby to her.

A while later, the nurse stood back up and said, “This is a walking cast. However, the cast is still wet, so she can't walk on it for at least a few hours.” The nurse said. “Her discharge papers were signed already, so you're free to take her home. I'll bring a wheelchair.”

He nodded his thanks and moved to gently wake his niece up. “Mimi, wake up.”

“Dadi?” Mica yawned, wiping her eyes, “Where's Uncle Ianto?”

Ianto laughed, “I _am_ Uncle Ianto, cariad. The nurse finished making your cast, so I can take you home now.”

“Can we get ice cream? This morning, you said we could get ice cream.”

“If you're up to it, sweetheart, we'll stop for ice cream.”

 

-_-_

 

With Owen's help, Ianto pushed Mica out to the car and settled her in the backseat again. “You feelin' better?” Owen asked, poking his head through the open window of the SUV and flashing the girl a smile.

She nodded, grinning back. “Yeah. Thank you, mister.”

David climbed in the front seat, as per his uncle's instruction, and he handed his sister her 'get well' present with a smile. “We bought this for you, Mica.”

“A teddy!” She smiled, hugging the brown bear close to her chest. “Thank you!”

“I need to talk to Owen for a minute, you guys. We'll go for ice cream and then I'll take you home.” He stepped over to Owen and gave him a hug. “Thank you, Owen.”

Owen was taken aback. “Oi!” He patted Ianto on the back awkwardly. He was extremely uncomfortable with this. As it was, he barely tolerated Jack's shag. They were friends, but only because it was understood that it was required. “You're... you're welcome. Look, if you need anything else, I... you know you can come to me.”

“I know. Thank you.”

“Go. They need you.” He clapped Ianto on the back reassuringly. “Good man.”

 

-_-_

 

They stopped at a local ice cream parlor before heading back to the Davies' home. Mica, with Yanni the teddy bear in hand, threw her arms around Ianto's neck, this time for a piggy back ride into the house. David trotted up to the door with his ice cream, smiling brightly. “'ey, Davie!” Rhiannon gave her son a sloppy kiss on the cheek, ushering him through the door. “I hope you thanked your Uncle Ianto for that ice cream.”

“Yes, Mam!”

With Mica on his back, Ianto walked over the hill and up to the door. “Oh my God!” Rhiannon shouted. “What the hell did you do to my daughter?!”

“Hi, Mam!” Mica sounded just as chipper as when she left the house that morning.

“Mica, what happened? Are you all right?”

“I'm fine. I got a neat cast. The man who made my sundae even came to the car to sign it for me, see!” She pointed to the black spot of sharpie on her otherwise all white cast.

“I... told her it had to be white. For school.” Ianto sounded quiet; sheepish. His big sister always intimidated him, especially when she screamed. She had a way of sounding just like their dad.

Rhiannon's eyes were furious. Her hand swung back and she slapped him across the face. “How could you let this happen?!”

 

-_-_

 

_His face stung. His leg was still sore, weeks after he had his 'accident'. His back and arse were bloody and raw. Dad stood above him, the belt swinging freely from his hand. Rhiannon was in the next room. Silent. Everything was so quiet. Except his cries. And everything hurt._

 

-_-_

 

“Rhi, it was an accident. I was talking to David and she fell off the swing.”

“Why weren't you watching her? Ianto, I trusted you!”

Ianto carried Mica up the stairs and laid her down on her pink bed. “There you go, Mimi. I need to go talk to Mam, okay? You got your teddy bear. I'll come see you before I leave, okay?”

“The hell you will!” Rhiannon shouted.

“No! Uncle Ianto, don't go! I want you to stay.” Tears streamed down Mica's face again.

“Oh, shhh. There, cariad. Come, now. Shhh.” He wiped her tears away with his thumbs, smiling. “I'm not going yet. Just relax. I'll come up in a minute.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead and stepped out of the room with his angry sister in tow.

Rhiannon barely allowed the door to shut before ripping into her brother. “You'd better have one hell of an explanation for this!”

“We were having a fine time. I finally... we... she... it was nice. But David was off, just sitting there on his phone. I wanted to get him more interested. I told Mica to go play on the spring horse for a bit. She must've just... gone off.” He paused, closing his eyes and rubbing a hand over his tired brow, “I was talking to David when I heart her scream. We tried calling you. You didn't pick up your mobile or the home phone.”

“Home phone's been disconnected.” She muttered, embarrassed.

“I sent my... I sent Jack by the house to see if you were here, but you weren't.”

She looked up, rolling her eyes. “I went to the market for a bit. 's a bit of a hassle, trying to get your shopping done when you've got two kids whining at you.”

“You could have called me.”

“Oh, really, Ianto? I could have called you? What good would that have done me?”

“I could help out. With money, you know. And I could watch them. There's no need for you to... do this to yourself.”

“Yeah, look how wonderfully you watched my children today.” She hissed.

“Stop blaming me for that!” Ianto bellowed, slamming his fist against the wall of the hallway. “Children break bones! It _happens_. David broke his arm four years ago. Remember that? Falling off his skateboard. _I_ did not break Mica's leg. It just _happened. I am not tad._ I'm going to say goodbye to them.”

The door to Mica's bedroom creaked open again. “Are you mad at me, Uncle Ianto?”

His heart dropped and his eyes grew wide with sadness as he sat beside her on the bed. He gave her a quick hug before looking meaningfully into her eyes. “No, cariad, of course not. Why would I be mad at you?”

“You and Mam were yelling because of me.”

“No, no, sweetheart, no.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, smoothing her messy pigtails. “Your mam and I are just upset that you got hurt. But we're not upset with you.” He held her close again, sighing sadly. “Mica, I have to go now. But know that I love you very much. You know that, right?”

She nodded, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I love you, too, Uncle Ianto. Will you come by again soon?”

Ianto hesitated, not wanting to get her hopes up. He knew Rhiannon's stubborn streak could be a mile long. “I'll telephone you very soon, Mimi. I promise.”

“Okay.”

 

-_-_

 

“David,” Ianto called, knocking on the open door.

“'s open.”

He snort-laughed, entering the overwhelmingly blue room. He looked around, taking note of all the sports trophies. “I didn't know you played rugby.”

“There's a lot you don't know.” David shrugged, not bothering to look up from his phone.

Ianto grabbed the small gadget from his nephew, which earned him an angry glance. “I'm sorry I haven't been around much. I'm going to try to come around more often, if your mam'll let me.”

“Yeah. _Great._ ”

“See you 'round.” Said Ianto as he handed the kid back his phone, heading for the door.

David dropped his phone and jumped off his bed. “You're pretty okay, Uncle Ianto.” He said, giving his uncle a hug.

Ianto laughed, hugging back. “I love you, too, David.” He kissed the top of his nephew's head before going back down the stairs.

 

-_-_

 

“So I'll see you in two years, then, huh?” Rhiannon said with crossed arms.

“I'd be here tomorrow, if you'd have it. Rhi, I don't think you understand why I stay away.”

“Oh, really? Then why don't you inform me?”

He shook his head, sighing. “You _really_ wouldn't understand, Rhi.”

“Is it about Dad?”

“No. Not everything is about Dad. And it's not about you, either, before you start that. Because not everything is about you.”

“Then _what_ , Ianto? Make me understand.”

There was a pregnant pause. A single tear streamed down Ianto's face as he enveloped his sister in a hug. “I love you, Rhiannon. I'll phone soon to see how Mica is doing. And don't you _ever_ accuse me of not loving my niece and nephew.”

The door shut behind him and Rhiannon stood there; dumbfounded.


End file.
